Pipe connectors with compensators are used in order to compensate for a thermal change, particularly an expansion of pipes. Particularly in the food industry or other applications in which intensely heated goods are transported, damages in the corresponding pipe systems can otherwise result due to the thermal changes in the pipe length. It is advantageous if such pipe connectors can be installed and removed in the simplest manner possible, because maintenance can be made easier in this way.
At the same time, in some areas, such as for example in food processing, it is necessary for a pipe connector to be easy to clean. The transition between pipe and pipe connector should preferably run in a flat manner on the pipe interior in the axial direction, meaning, for example, without edges or an offset. In this way, it is possible to avoid having areas that are difficult to flush in the transition area, such as for example, corners and edges or recesses or offsets.
This arrangement of the pipe connector with regard to the two pipes that are to be connected, in which each transition between pipe and pipeline connector runs smoothly on the pipe interior in the axial direction without an offset between the components, is also called centered. A pipe connector in such a centered arrangement can likewise be described as centered. Often centering by means of the mounting of, for example, flange connectors, is not sufficient for centering due to the play in the radial direction. An offset can therefore result due to the screws and bores in the flanges. If the pipe connector is not centered, adequate cleaning by means of flushing cannot be guaranteed. It is therefore necessary, particularly in the food industry, to provide a pipe connector that can be installed in a centered manner.